ESPN's 30 for 30 last night: "Fantastic Lies"

[eyeteach]

ESPN does a GREAT job with it's 30 for 30 documentaries and the one that aired last night might be the best yet. "Fantastic Lies" delved into the Duke lacrosse rape case, including the people involved and the forensic evidence, both suppressed and that fabricated by the district attorney and the police, that could be shown in a two hour time span. It still boggles my mind how those who have a predisposition to believe what they want to believe regardless of what evidence may show can actually walk and breathe at the same time. Make no mistake, to me the crime of rape is one of the most heinous and horrible crimes a monster can commit and should not be put up with; but neither should a civilized society fall in behind and blindly go marching off with those who do more damage to their own beliefs without a shred of judicial evidence.

Last night's episode leaves the viewer with so many questions that weren't answered and, believe it or not, more questions that the producers didn't dare ask. All in all I did find it the best 30 for 30 episode to date.

 

[Mikey_P]

ESPN doesn't create 30 for 30 and that is why it is so good.

 

[eyeteach]

ESPN doesn't create 30 for 30 and that is why it is so good.

Unless I'm missing something the "ESPNFilms presents..." at the starting credits is an ESPN production. Regardless, those 30's are the best thing ESPN televises.

 

[Mikey_P]

They are made by an outside company who independently came up with the concept who were then umbrellaed under the ESPN. (The series was created by Bill Simmons, the guy who runs Grantland and brokered a deal with ESPN for funding for traffic due to the low bounce rate on the Grantland site--- )Yes, they are often really good and show the human side of sports vs the product we see on the field.

I was taking a sociology class when the Duke lacrosse team rape scandal happened and the teacher was talking about master status and how it was used to dehumanize the victim--- dancer/hooker = not respected and not protected. Master status also explains why everyone was so quick to blame the team members as well.

 

[eyeteach]

Thanks for responding to this thread Mikey_P, you definitely bring a lot. As far as the theory from the sociology professor, and this is just me, that might have been a valid argument but for the fact that the media rushed to the escort's defense; in doing so they empowered her side of the story and pre-judged the LAX players guilty before the first argument in a trial was ever held. Several groups bear responsibility in their actions to try, condemn, and hang those players for what eventually turned out to be a horrible lie. Obviously the district attorney and lead detective on that case should have been held responsible for their unconscionable actions, but so too should have administrators and professors within Duke University who sought to prevent those three players that their constitutional rights. And then there were the social justice warriors, I won't even start on that.

As I said previously, I personally feel that all the 30 for 30's the one we're discussing was the best.

 

[DFT]

NPR's "Serial" is in its second season, "The Jinx", "Making a Murderer", "The People vs OJ Simpson"

I can't help wonder how long this has been in the can. Courts aren't so different from TV, you have to be appealing to the jury. (Facts, justice? Surely you jest) Unlike the accused, TV can wait until they get the right jury to sell soap and cars to.

True crime is selling.

 

[Mikey_P]

Thanks for responding to this thread Mikey_P, you definitely bring a lot. As far as the theory from the sociology professor, and this is just me, that might have been a valid argument but for the fact that the media rushed to the escort's defense; in doing so they empowered her side of the story and pre-judged the LAX players guilty before the first argument in a trial was ever held. Several groups bear responsibility in their actions to try, condemn, and hang those players for what eventually turned out to be a horrible lie. Obviously the district attorney and lead detective on that case should have been held responsible for their unconscionable actions, but so too should have administrators and professors within Duke University who sought to prevent those three players that their constitutional rights. And then there were the social justice warriors, I won't even start on that.

As I said previously, I personally feel that all the 30 for 30's the one we're discussing was the best.

Exactly, I think the other side of master status is why the Duke players were hung and seen as guilty in the court of public opinion: People saw them as privileged, spoiled, frat boys, the type of guys who would take things too far but who would always receive a tap on the wrist-- and add suspected rapist to that and people can easily make bad guys out of such people and create an inequitable narrative between the accuser and the accused.

Why we need objective eyes who will let the evidence decide vs the court of public opinion. School probably need well defined procedures for when things like this happen so that they are not a slave to the moment or even slaves to a student athletes star power-- think the Peyton Manning wrist tap for putting his genitals on a female trainer and then the school and his dad's smear campaign to end that woman's career. Codifying what happens after an accusation and a list of punishments would help the process.